Simple Simon, rules and strategy
A solitaire game in the Spider family where all cards are visible from the start: ten columns, no stock, and four runs from king to ace to build. This site explains the exact rules, strategy and winning games, verified card by card. To play: Simple Simon, on Android.
Available on Google Play. The version for iPhone and iPad has not been released yet.
Simple Simon at a glance
Simple Simon is played alone with a deck of 52 cards, all dealt face up across 10 columns: the first three receive 8 cards, then each column receives one fewer, down to the last, which has just one. There is no stock and no hidden card: everything is visible, everything can be planned.
Place a card on a card one rank higher, regardless of suit: a 7 on a 8. But a group of cards can only move together if it is of a single suit. The goal is to build a complete run from king to ace of the same suit in a column: it is then removed from play. The game is won when all 4 runs have been removed. The rules detail each move, and the strategy explains how to approach the game.
A deal from the app
Here is the deal with code SS1-S1-AAAAABD as dealt by the app, with 1 suit. Paste this code into the app to play it; a winning game in 49 moves is detailed on the Examples page.
No sequences removed. Column 1: 7 of spades, 6 of spades, 9 of spades, 9 of spades, 7 of spades, 6 of spades, 3 of spades, 10 of spades; column 2: 10 of spades, 2 of spades, ace of spades, jack of spades, 5 of spades, 7 of spades, 9 of spades, 7 of spades; column 3: king of spades, 4 of spades, king of spades, 3 of spades, jack of spades, queen of spades, 2 of spades, 8 of spades; column 4: 10 of spades, queen of spades, 5 of spades, 4 of spades, queen of spades, 3 of spades, 3 of spades; column 5: king of spades, jack of spades, 2 of spades, 4 of spades, 8 of spades, 4 of spades; column 6: 8 of spades, jack of spades, 5 of spades, 2 of spades, 6 of spades; column 7: ace of spades, 6 of spades, king of spades, 9 of spades; column 8: 5 of spades, queen of spades, ace of spades; column 9: ace of spades, 10 of spades; column 10: 8 of spades.
Where to start?
The rules
The layout of the 52 cards, legal moves, groups of the same suit, empty columns, removed runs and scoring.
Strategy
Read the whole board before playing, build within the same suit, empty a column and use it, prepare each run.
Verified games
Actual deals from the app with their game codes, including a game won in 49 moves, replayed move by move.
Frequently asked questions
How does it differ from Spider? How many suits should I choose? Why is a group rejected? Short answers.
On phone and tablet
The app is played in landscape orientation. It offers 1, 2 or 4 suits, a code for each game to replay or share a deal, undo for the last 100 actions, and statistics.
